Device for tying knots in monofilament lines



Feb. 10, 1970 `H ,$1'EPHEN5' I v3,4945648 I DEVICE FOR TYING KNoTs IN MONOFILAMENT L`INEs Filed May 15, 1968 W. W E TM N W. .W m5 W 'United States Patent O" U.S. Cl. 289-17 3 Clams ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A knot-tying device for tying knots in two Sections of monofilament line to non-separably connect said Sections, and for tying a knot in such a line to connect the same to a fishhook.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Connecting monofilament lines to fishhooks has been accomplished as suggested in U.S. Patent 3,l06,4l7. Splicing of two lines has also been Suggested, as in U.S. Patent 2.,689,147. The latter patent shows a device and method involving a first tying step, a removal of the tied knot from the tool, and then a second tying step with the first knot loose of the tool.

An object of this invention is to provide a knot-tying device to splice the ends of two Sections of monofilament line by means enabling more facile control of the ends to be spliced whether or not dry, or so curled as to be difficult to hold, than has been heretofore known.

Another object of the invention is to provide a device of the character referred to that is of simple, integral form.

This invention also has for its objects to provide such means that are positive in operation, convenient in use, easily installed in a working position and easily disconnected therefrom, economical of manufacture, relatively simple, and of general superiority and serviceability.

The invention also comprises novel arrangements of parts, which will more fully appear in the course of the following description, which is based on the accompanying drawing. However, said drawng merely shows, and the following description merely describes, one embodiment of the present invention, which is given by Way of illustration or example only.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present device comprises a formed or molded and generally flat body of Synthetic resin, such as commercial plastic of rigid Character, Said body having an intermediate middle line-wrapping and hook-engaging portion 5, and two similar, but oppositely directed, knot-'forming ends 6 and 7.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING In the drawing, like reference characters designate similar parts in the several views.

FIG. l is a top plan view of a knot-tying device according to the present invention, and shown in the process of tying line-splicing knots.

FIG. 2 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the device shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 shows a splice as formed by said device and before the same is fully tautened and connected.

PIG. 4 is an enlarged plan view of one end of the device, illustrating the manner of connecting a fishhook to a line.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT The present device is advantageously molded or other-- wise formed of Synthetic resin of rigid form, and while "ice the same may be machined or otherwise fabricated, is preferably molded.

The middle portion 5 of the device is generally flat and comprises a tongue part 10 and two similar flanking parts 11 that are spaced, on opposite Sides of the part 10, by recesses 12 that have narrow open ends 13 between the flanking parts 11 and widened extensions 14 of said tongue part 10. The latter, thereby, has a neck portion 15 that is located `between the inner, larger ends of Said recesses 12.

Said portion 5 is shown as narrowing at its opposite ends to form tapered portions 16 which connect to the knot-forming ends 6 and 7 at each end of the device. Said portions 16 are provided, in the top faces, with shallow concavities 17.

The ends 6 and 7 are similar, each having a longitudinal groove 18 open at its end and which extends to- Ward the middle part 5 along the tapered portions 16. At the tip of each said end 6 and 7 a notch 19 is provided.

Operation When connecting or splicing two monofilament lines 20 and 21, the ends to be spliced are placed in such overlapping relation that the end 22 of the line 20 and the end 23 of the line 21 are spaced a distance substantially greater than the length, from tip to tip, of the device. The middle portion of Such overlapped lines is then wrapped around the neck 15 of the tongue 10, as shown at 24, two or three turns being deemed Sufficient.

With one hand grasping the middle portion 5 of the device and also the wrapped lines at 24, the other portions of the overlines are trained to be in side-by-side relation in the grooves 18. The thumb of the hand thus holding the device is pressed against the concavity 17 at one end, thereby pressing the overlapped lines in place in said groove.

Assuming that it is the right end 6 of the device that is being thus grasped and pressed, the line end 22 is first trained around one projection 25 of the two which define the notch 19, then wrapped by turns 26 around the end 6 of the device, from the end thereof inward to the middle, and finally back through the groove 18, inside the tums 26. Three or four turns 26 will provide this wrapping with Suflficient length when the same is slipped off the tip of the end 18 and the line end 22 pulled to take up most of the slack in the turns 26 to provide a slip knot 27 that is in sliding engagement with the line 21. The above is repeated at the other end of the device with a slip knot 28 formed in the line end 23 around the line 20. AS indicated in FIG. 3, the two lines are pulled oppositely according to the arrows 29, until the two slip knots are brought tightly together. Finally, the two slip knots are then tightened around the respective lines 20 and 21 that they encircle, by pulling on the line ends 22 and 23. Excess lengths of the ends 22 and 23 may then be cut off.

With one or both slip knots off the ends of the device as at the right of FIG. 1, the turns 24 forming the wrapping around the neck may be removed to remove the spliced line from the device.

As shown in FIG. 4, a similar slip knot 28 may be formed on the double-back end 29 of a line 30 strung through the eye 31 of a fishhook 32 positioned in hooking engagement with the portion 11 at one end of the device. The concavity 17 provides accommodation for the shank and eye of the hook. The single line 30, with its doubled end 29 being the counterpart of the line 20 and the line end 23 of the line 21, as Well aS of the line 21 and the line end 22 of the line 20, resides in the groove 18 while the knot 28 is being formed. Said knot slides back toward the hook eye 31 to effect secure connection of the hook 32 on the line 30, in the manner above described.

While FIG. 4 shows the fishhook 32 engaged with the portion 11, the same may be engaged with the neck 15, thereby taking advantage of the widened extension 14 of the tongue to keep the fishhook from inadvertent dislodgement from the neck.

FIG. 4 shows a fishhook 34 in position to be connected to a line 30 by turns 28 around the shank of said fishhook. The turns 28, when slipped off the device end 7, the fishhook moving endwise therewith, may then be tightened, as before, but this time around the fishhook shank instead of the line 30.

' While the foregoing has illustrated and described what is now contemplated to be the best mode of carrying out the invention, the construction is, of course, subject to modification without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Therefore, it is not desired to restrict the invention to the particular form of construction illustrated and described.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is:

1. A device for tying knots in monofilament lines comprising:

(a) a body with an intermediate approximately central portion provided with a tongue part that extends laterally toward one side edge of said central part and formed to have a reduced neck and a widened extending portion and around which the overlapped ends of two such lines are adapted to be wrapped and retained against lateral displacement, and

(b) similar but opposite elongated body ends extending from said intermediate portion oppositely therefrom,

(c) each said body end being provided with knot-tying means for tying a slip-knot in each overlapped end of said monofilament lines and around the respective lines overlapped therewith,

(d) the tying means on each said body end having a notch defined between two projections around at least one of which a convolution of a slip-knot is wrapped.

2. A device according to claim 1 in which the tongue part is disposed between two recesses in the body and two portions of said body each adapted for hooking connection with a fishhook.

3. A device according to claim 2 in which each said body end, adjacent the intermediate body portion, is provided with a longitudinal shallow concavity, and each said end has an elongated longitudinal groove that extends, in part, through said concavity, and, in part, beyond the end thereof, said concavity rendering the mentioned groove shallower than the `remainder thereof, Whereby a finger of the usefs hand that grasps the intermediate part of the body and the line-wrapped tongue is adapted to press against the concavity and the lines that extend along the groove during tying of a knot by the tying means of the mentioned end.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,689,147 9/1954 Smalley 289-17 2,758,859 8/1956 Smith 289-17 3,106,417 10/1963 ClOw 289-17 3,326,586 6/1967 Frost et al. 289-17 LOUIS K. RIMRODT, Primary Examiner 

